Thread: Average Income

[QUOTE=osmann_lawn;4242268]Thanks guys for all the helpful info. I absolutely hate my temporary warehouse job. Never get time to see family & friends, witch are the most important things in life. That is one reason among many others i want to start my own lawn care business. After talking it over with my mom and dad they both thought it would be a good idea to go back to school.

Don't start a lawn care business if you want to be home a lot more. I had all kinds of free time until I started mine. Well, I guess I do get 1 month off in the winter.

Oh yes you can! I got behind this year and had to do some spraying in the dark. Luckily for me, my Z spray has a foam marker on it so I could see where I was going. Plus, you have to invoice and do book keeping, then you have to fold invoices, stuff envelopes and then you get to spend time with the kids while they lick the envelope glue.

I have 108 accounts right now, but I only spray and fertilize (no mowing). I do not have a helper. It is just me. I work a full time swing shift job and do the lawn thing on the side (after work and on my days off). I do know two guys here that own lawn care businesses. One is a large company and one is rather small. Both are divorced because their wives said they were never home and worked too much. I think it's because they are both *#%*# well you know.

I wish. On 105 accounts, if you average $75 a lawn, then you only gross $40,000. Bring home about 40% of that after taxes, insurance, materials, and all that jazz. I am not even close to what the steel mill pays me.

That's not bad at all for a side job! Why do you do the spraying? Are you trying to make it your full time job? Do you think it will be hard for me to get lawn accounts this up coming season? I am trying to get this business going i have 6 people i mow for right now since high school. I would love to work for my self. My ideal yearly salary would be 30,000 & up. (i know that would not happen right away but in the next few years). That would be more than i would make in a warehouse/factory & i would enjoy the work! I have been putting a lot of time into this (researching, advertising material, equipment etc).

That's not bad at all for a side job! Why do you do the spraying? Are you trying to make it your full time job? Do you think it will be hard for me to get lawn accounts this up coming season? I am trying to get this business going i have 6 people i mow for right now since high school. I would love to work for my self. My ideal yearly salary would be 30,000 & up. (i know that would not happen right away but in the next few years). That would be more than i would make in a warehouse/factory & i would enjoy the work! I have been putting a lot of time into this (researching, advertising material, equipment etc).

The biggest problem with full-time college is the expense and the debt that it puts you in... for some 60% of college grads they will never work in their desired profession...

A friend of mine can't afford to strike out and risk a landscape business venture becuz of the debt... Would have been better off, going into debt to buy a house as long as one is stuck in the dead end job...

$30,000.00/yr. is fine, as long as you're not in debt... There is no magic formula for making money... it's all hustle... sell yourself as a person of integrity with a work ethic... I wouldn't let the Wallstreet Occupiers shovel snow around the mail box, in spite of all their college education...

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Now that I know that clay's texture(platelets) has nothing to do with water infiltration, percolation, or drainage,,, I wonder what does...
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The biggest problem with full-time college is the expense and the debt that it puts you in... for some 60% of college grads they will never work in their desired profession...

A friend of mine can't afford to strike out and risk a landscape business venture becuz of the debt... Would have been better off, going into debt to buy a house as long as one is stuck in the dead end job...

$30,000.00/yr. is fine, as long as you're not in debt... There is no magic formula for making money... it's all hustle... sell yourself as a person of integrity with a work ethic... I wouldn't let the Wallstreet Occupiers shovel snow around the mail box, in spite of all their college education...

A couple of notes, I hope you are talking net dollars (after all business expenses and taxes) when your talking $30k, its hard to question how much someone needs because it all location location - here in Southern New England - health insurance for a single person can be had for around $5k, a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment/with utiliities $10k if your not picky cell, internet/tv and groceries and a 6 pack of Black Label Kingers $5k and then $4k That leaves you about $6 a year to enjoy the fruits of you labor.

A note about the Wallstreet occupiers - do you understand that the same thing is going on in countries around the globe - whether someone went or is going to college there are no jobs - others on the site have talked about the rediculous prices some low ballers are charging to mow grass - personally, I lost 2 customers, (I am not sad about it, they where pains) they were every other week cuts, I was charging $40 a cut the new guy, does it every week for $20, and only when they call - there are no jobs -think about it some of the occupier used to pay to have their yard done!